Episode Guide
Following is a guide to the events of each Cyborg Sakura episode from Season One. This page still needs more information so please contribute! Warning! This page contains spoilers! Episode 1: "New Cereal! Hungry Sakura-chan Hunt!" The opening scene of the episode seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the episode. It contains the first appearance of the Bladinator but he is never actually shown, only seen in silhouette, intimidating a street vendor who appears to owe him a substantial amount of money, indicating that the Bladinator is a loan shark possibly with ties to the Yakuza. He says something to the effect of “You cannot dishonor the Family in this way.” The street vendor, unable to repay the loan, is therefore suggested to pay with his honor, and he subsequently commits seppuku. The scene cuts to Sakura ,who is seen shopping lavishly for clothes. There is a montage of her trying on many different outfits. She wastes all her money on clothes and then realizes she is hungry. She goes to a noodle cart on the side of the street and orders a bowl of noodles, which is poorly translated into English as a bowl of "cereal." However she cannot afford the noodles because she wasted all her money on clothes. This is the first episode in which Sakura’s catch-phrase, “Aw, but I love cereal bowl,” is heard. Sakura goes hunting for someone who will buy her a bowl of noodles. She visits Hikaru for a tune-up, which for some reason she either doesn’t have to pay for or can inexplicably afford, possibly implying that in this world, cyborg tune-ups are even cheaper than noodle bowls. (Some speculate that Hikaru doesn’t charge her for tune-ups because he likes her because just as she arrives, he is ringing up another customer for tune-ups and the price on the register appears to be ¥5000, a not insignificant amount of money. However, given that Cyborg Sakura takes place some time in the near future, it is possible that rampant inflation has occured!) Alas, Hikaru, who appears to be Sakura's boyfriend, based on their familiar tone and interaction, pulls out his pockets and shows that he doesn't have any money to spare. (Throughout the series, it is unclear whether Hikaru actually owns the mechanic shop which bears his name or is simply an employee there, but this scene implies he does not own the shop, as, if he did, he would be able to lend Sakura money from the register, which is certain to have at least ¥5000 in it during this scene.) Hikaru starts to say something about having to spend a lot of money on something called a "turbo-razer" for his go-cart when Sakura gets angry and shouts, "What's the purpose of a boyfriend if he can't give me any money to buy a simple cereal bowl!?" Hikaru seems taken aback by this and hesitates to respond. However Sakura regains her composure and adopts a cute and contrite chibi face as she apologizes and says she shouldn't be so hard on him (Hikaru). Right about that time, Iku-chan (Hikaru's younger brother) races by in his miniature go-cart (which has hovering thrusters) and says that he could buy Sakura a bowl of cereal if she would give him a kiss. Hikaru seems angry at this, but before he can do anything about it, Sakura bonks Iku-chan on the head with her fist, calling him a pip-squeak (馬鹿 in Japanese). Sakura storms out of Hikaru's shop, calling Hikaru useless, but then cheerily offering to meet him after work. It begins to rain in downtown Tokyo and Sakura has no umbrella, just a lot of bags full of clothes, which are beginning to get drenched. She considers for a moment whether she should stop by her apartment to put the clothes away, but then hits upon a seemingly brilliant idea. She could just return some of the clothes and get her money back, which she could then use to buy a bowl of cereal. The scene quickly cuts to the department store where Sakura bought some of her clothes and the clerk apologizes, saying that he cannot take back the clothes now that they are all wet. Sakura flails her arms at him and turns red in the face, swearing never to patronize the store again. The clerk quips that seeing as she has no money at the moment, that is just fine with him. The scene cuts back to what is presumably Sakura's apartment, where she drops the wet clothes, still in their bags, on the floor as she stomps into the apartment and sits down on the floor. She decides to look in her pantry for cereal, thinking she might have some left but her search comes up practically empty. All she finds is a bag of rice, which is fairly empty. About this time, there is a knock on her door. Her landlady (who is never named) is asking her for the rent (again) and Sakura tries to be quiet, pretending she isn't home. However the landlady shouts through the door that she say Sakura come home with lots of bags from the store so she had better open the door. Sakura realizes she has no choice and opens the door, acting very obsequious and inviting the landlady in for tea. However, the landlady has no time for her shenanigans, and demands that the rent be paid, in full, by tomorrow night or else she will kick Sakura out. Sakura decides there is only one thing left to do: "Kick ass and take names!" she declares boldly. The next few scenes show her beating up various gangster-looking guys on the street, breaking up gambling tables, and generally beating up bad-looking-guys, all while taking their money. Following the beat-up montage, Sakura is talking to a police detective who is writing notes down while Sakura, her cyborg arms and legs glowing (in the series, cybernetic appendages glow when used frequently or intensely), explains how she beat up all the gangsters. In the meantime several police officers escort bruised gangsters in hand-cuffs past Sakura and the detective in the still pouring rain. The detective mentions something about a reward for the capture of Tako the Knife. Sakura's eyes flash with yen. In the final scene of the episode, Sakura is seen in her apartment with tons of bowls of noodles around her as she sits cross-legged by the table in the center of her apartment, ravenously devouring bowl after bowl. Hikaru sits on the other side, staring slack-jawed at Sakura. He makes some comment to the effect that he supposes powering all those cybernetics takes a lot of energy. Sakura responds by staring Hikaru very closely in the face with a scowl. She then snatches the noodle bowl in his hands and starts eating it too. Hikaru asks if she at least paid her rent. The episode ends with Sakura dancing around a multi-colored background with noodle bowls in the corners. "But I love cereal bowl!" she exclaims. Episode 2 Please help fill in the details on Episode 2! Episode 3: "New Job! Maid Sakura-chan Go!" This is the first episode to feature Tsumasaki, Sakura's best friend. Please help fill in the details on Episode 3! Episode 4 Please help fill in the details on Episode 4! Episode 5: "New Race! Happy Sakura-chan Cheer!" This is the first episode to feature Nogoro-san, the detective investigating Hikaru's underground go-cart racing. Please help fill in the details on Episode 5! Episode 6: "New Date! Sakura-chan Love Time!" In this episode, Nogoro-san and Sakura go on their very first date, after Sakura breaks up with Hikaru in Episode 5. Please help fill in the details on Episode 6! Episode 7 Please help fill in the details on Episode 7! Episode 8 Please help fill in the details on Episode 8! Episode 9 Please help fill in the details on Episode 9! Episode 10 Please help fill in the details on Episode 10! Episode 11 Please help fill in the details on Episode 11! Episode 12 Please help fill in the details on Episode 12!